CT PHOTOS/TONY TRIBBLE

Father Mentrup's casket is carried to the field during the liturgy.

Friends, former students mourn 'Father Chuck'

By Eileen Connelly, OSU

ST. MARGARET MARY DEANERY - A crowd of several thousand mourners came together Nov. 3 to fondly remember Father Charles "Chuck" Mentrup at LaSalle High School, where the beloved priest was once a teacher and coach.

Those who gathered to pay their respects to Father Mentrup braved chilly temperatures and a brisk wind to attend the outdoor funeral Mass, held in LaSalle's Lancer Stadium and celebrated by Father William Kennedy, pastor of Assumption Parish in Mt. Healthy. "We are all warmed by the memory of Father Mentrup," he said. "He was good because of his faith and trust in God, and he always put people first."

Crowds throng into Lancer Stadium the Mass of Christian Burial for Father Charles Mentrup.

A native of Cincinnati, Father Mentrup attended Our Lady of Lourdes School, St. Xavier High School and Xavier University before beginning studies in for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary's Seminary. He was ordained in 1988. Following ordination, Father Mentrup served as associate pastor of Incarnation Parish in Centerville while also on the faculty at Alter High School. From 1993 until 1998, he was a member of the faculty at LaSalle High School and in residence at St. Ann Parish in Groesbeck. As principal of Fenwick High School in Middletown from 1997 to 2005, Father Mentrup oversaw a major fundraising campaign resulting in the construction of a new school facility. Beginning this fall, he taught at McAuley High School.

Dozens of priests were on hand for Father Mentrup's funeral, as was Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk. Also in attendance were hundreds of former students, many current students from McAuley High School and parishioners from St. Mary's Church in Franklin, where Father Mentrup had served as pastor since 2003.

A dedicated priest and educator, Father Mentrup will be remembered for the "tough love" mixed with humor approach that he brought to his ministry, which impacted so many parishioners and students through the years. He was also known for his short but powerful sermons and unwavering willingness to always reach out to others. His schedule was always full with requests from former students to officiate at weddings and baptisms.

Don Dilg, Father Mentrup's Spanish teacher while he was a student at St. Xavier, eulogized his good friend during the funeral Mass, saying, "He was a leader and he was enthusiastic. And, he would always, always listen to your problems. He had charisma, and he touched everyone's lives."